Bitter Hearts
by steph84
Summary: When Muggle borns are being attacked at Hogwarts, why does Victoria suspect her boyfriend Tom Riddle?
1. Desperate Times

I tried to ignore the burning tears behind my eyelids as I sat at the hospital bedside of my best friend Trisha Yemets. Trisha and I had been best friends ever since we both came to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry six years ago. Although Trisha was Muggle born, I loved her all the same. She was my best friend; we were a pair. I hated to see her Petrified like this.  
  
It was the fourth attack on a Muggle born in the past six weeks. I had become increasingly worried and confessed my fears to my boyfriend, Tom Riddle. He only replied, "You're not Muggle born, Vickie. Why are you so worried?"  
  
He's right. I'm not Muggle born. I'm as pure blooded as they come. Not that I have anything against Muggle borns. But apparently someone, or something, in the school did, for several Muggle borns had already been attacked. Something told me that if nothing were done, there would be more severe consequences following the next few attacks.  
  
"Victoria, you had better leave now." Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron reappeared from her office. Her eyes were red and swollen and I knew that she was fearing the same thing I, and the rest of the school, was. The closure of Hogwarts. Silently, I stood up from my chair and left the hospital wing, only after promising that I would return the next day after classes.  
  
Instead of heading to my common room in the Gryffindor Tower, I proceeded to Tom's common room. Many people found it strange that two people, one from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin, had found happiness together. At first, I found it a little scary, how well Tom and I clicked. He was my soul mate; I was pretty sure that I loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. He was handsome, with jet-black hair and piercing green eyes that reached out into your soul. He was also very smart, with top grades and a school prefect. There was only one thing that troubled me: his past. His father was a Muggle and left as soon as he found out that his wife was a witch. She was pregnant with Tom at the time and died shortly after giving birth to him. Tom was raised in a Muggle orphanage before coming to Hogwarts. He had no home to go to during the holidays so as often as I could, in the three years that we had been dating, I offered that he come to my house. My family was as open and caring as anyone else I knew, and quite often Tom accepted. Due to the fact that Tom, too, was a Muggle born, although a fairly secretive one, I worried that he, too, would be attacked.  
  
When I reached the Slytherin common room door, I waited patiently, as always, for someone to come along. I slid with my back to the wall down to the floor and chewed on a strand of my brown hair, a bad habit I was forever trying to break. My mother often said, "God gave you beautiful brown hair, with gorgeous brown eyes to match. Don't chew your hair," but I rarely ever listened.  
  
"Are you here again?" Jordan Reynolds' voice broke through my thoughts and I stood up rather quickly, making myself dizzy. Before I could speak, he said, "I'll get Tom for you." Pausing slightly, with a strained voice, he asked, "How's Trisha?"  
I smiled in spite of the situation. I knew that Jordan was one of Tom's better friends and that he had a crush on Trisha. "She's as well as she can be," I replied and Jordan nodded, whispered his password to the portrait and slid inside. Moments later, Tom came through the passageway and without a word, I fell into his arms, a sobbing mess.  
  
"No one knows what's going on," I wailed to him as he led me outside to the big tree we always sat by. The water glistened in the evening moonlight and the April air was chilly. I shivered and Tom wrapped his robe around me. "Professor Dippet said that if the attacks don't stop, he'll have to close the school."  
  
Tom's eyes were dark and hollow when I looked at him. However, they were back to themselves when he looked at me. Comfortingly, he said, "I'm sure they'll find out what's going on soon, Vickie, don't worry." He looked out at the water again and I could practically see a light bulb flash above his head.  
  
"What is it, Tom?" I asked, almost afraid to find out. Tom sometimes had outrageous ideas. His last was that he and I elope in Canada before coming back to school for our final year.  
  
"We could catch the attacker ourselves!" he said, grasping my hands. "We could catch the attacker and then Hogwarts wouldn't have to close and we can still finish our education here and get married and have kids and rule the world and all that other stuff we dreamed of!"  
  
I couldn't help but laugh. He looked just like a little boy on Christmas morning. "How exactly do you plan to catch this attacker?" I asked, merely for entertainment sake. I knew there was no way that two teenagers in their sixth year of magical education could catch someone, or something, as complicated as the attacker of several Muggle borns.  
  
"I don't know. Vickie, you know that you and I together could accomplish anything." He turned to face me and held both my hands close to his heart. "Let's do it. I don't have anywhere to go if Hogwarts closes."  
  
I reached my hand out and smoothed his hair down. "You could always come live with me," I said, half-teasingly. "My parents love you."  
  
"Your parents are great, Vickie," he said, leaning back against the tree, looking out on the water. "You are really lucky to have them. And Morgan." He chuckled at the thought of my six-year old sister. "She's going to be a heartbreaker when she gets to Hogwarts." Seriousness took over his face again. "If there still is a Hogwarts when she turns eleven."  
  
I knew how badly he wanted to finish his schooling here and I hoped that was why he had been acting so strangely during these attacks. I figured he must be a little worried about being attacked, but there was something else bugging me. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Why was this nagging me so much? Everything else seemed normal in my life. Except for the fact that my best friend was a breathing vegetable.  
  
Suddenly, my nerves took over and all the pain and fear and stress of the past few weeks hit me and I began to laugh. My father told me years ago when I went to my great-aunt's funeral back home, "When you're nervous, you either laugh or you cry." And I guess my body had enough of crying for one day because I began to laugh and I couldn't stop. Poor Tom looked as though he thought I was going crazy, and I don't blame him. I lay on the ground and laughed until my sides physically ached. Sitting up again, I wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed Tom gently on the lips.  
  
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing up and brushing off my clothes. Tom stood beside me and kissed me again. I felt my stomach jump as though a thousand butterflies were flying around. We were both sixteen; we could handle this. Or so I thought. Tom had been pressuring me to take things further in our relationship for some time now. I was playing the role of chicken, always finding excuses to run off. I did love him, but I didn't want to push things. Why change everything when things are going so well? Tom said that it would better our relationship, but I always figured why fix it if it isn't broken in the first place?  
  
I pushed him away. "I'm tired, Tom. Ever since Trisha was attacked two days ago, I haven't slept that well. I'm going to bed to try and get some sleep."  
  
"I know something that will help you sleep." Tom pulled me to him again and grinned that grin that made me melt on the spot. Standing my ground, I pushed him away again.  
  
"You're such a pest!"  
  
"You know you love me," he retorted.  
  
"It's a constant reminder, like a pain in my rear," I replied, grinning back at him. "Now I'm going to bed." I stuck out my arm. "Walk me to the castle." He took my arm and I set out for yet another night without my best friend in the bed beside me. 


	2. A Bit Further

I woke up the next morning bathed in sunlight from the window. One of the other girls who slept in the dorm must have opened the curtains awfully early because when I looked at my watch, it was nearing six-thirty. Rolling over, I groaned into my pillow, expecting to hear Trisha say, "Do you mind? Some of us are still trying to sleep!" But only silenced reigned. Sitting up, I noticed that the other girls, Amelia Thermheart and Dawn Landry, had already left the room. I sat up slowly, to avoid that first-thing-in-the-morning-head-rush, and reached out to close the curtains a bit. The sunshine was too bright on my eyes this early.  
  
My first order for the day was to go see Trisha before classes started. Although Madam Pomfrey told me that talking to a Petrified person was about as useful as smashing your head into a wall, I still felt the need to be by her side. And I was taking Tom with me. So after my morning shower, which I almost fell asleep in twice, I got dressed in my school uniform and hurried down to the Great Hall, expecting to find Tom there.  
  
Instead, I found complete and utter chaos. When I approached Amelia, she was babbling incoherently to anyone that would listen. Turning away from her flailing arms, I noticed Dawn standing quietly in the corner of the Hall. "What's going on?" I questioned as I approached her. Her face was pale and her lengthy blonde hair was tangled and tousled as though she hadn't brushed it once that morning. She shook her head at me.  
  
"You haven't heard? There's been another attack."  
  
If my body were a building and my stomach were an elevator, this elevator would have dropped about six floors. My heart started to race. Looking around, I didn't see Tom anywhere. Panic-stricken, I said, "Well, who was it?"  
  
Dawn's eyes widened. "You know that girl, Myrtle, the one who is always wailing about how no one ever pays any attention to her and how everyone is so awful to her?"  
  
"Oh no." I knew Myrtle all right. I had sat beside her quite often in our Defence Against the Dark Arts class and she had become something of an acquaintance to me, if not a friend. "Is she in the hospital wing?"  
  
Dawn shook her head. "No, Vickie. She's dead."  
  
That elevator dropped another five floors. I felt grounded to the floor. It was bad enough that there were attacks, but now someone had been killed. This was too much for me. I sat down at the table with my head in my hands just as Headmaster Dippet entered the room and took his place at the Head Table. Silencing the crowd with just a wave of his hand, he began to speak.  
  
"As I'm sure most of you know, there has been another attack, only this time, the attack resulted in a death." He paused to allow for a bit of shocked chatter from those who didn't know. "I assure you that you will all be safe by tomorrow evening, for I am sending everyone home and Hogwarts will be closed." His voice was filled with sorrow, but he held his head high. Everyone knew how much the school meant to him and that it was his only reason to get up in the morning. Professor Dippet put everything he had into the school and now he had to close it down. I felt horrible as he told us classes were cancelled for the day. "Go and pack now," he said in a despondent voice. "There will be a memorial service for the deceased tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock sharp, before the train leaves. Everyone is welcome." With that, he stood up and left the table, followed by several other dejected professors.  
  
Desperately, I searched for Tom, spotting him entering the Hall at that very moment. He headed straight for me and held me tight. Although I hadn't known Myrtle that well, I was still distraught at the fact that the attacker could have killed a student.  
  
"Tom, where were you last night?" Jordan approached us, eager to change the subject. Jordan was not the type to show his feelings and he tried at all costs to change emotional issues.  
  
"In bed," Tom replied quickly, looking at me.  
  
"No, you weren't. You're forgetting, Tom, I live in the bed next to you. At least if you're going to lie, do it properly." He grinned at me. "Or is the fact that you didn't come to bed last night none of my business?"  
  
Tom shoved Jordan. "You know what, Jordan? I don't think this is the time or place to discuss this." He gave him a meaningful glance. "We'll talk later."  
  
Once Jordan left, I looked Tom straight in the eye. "Jordan raises a good point, Tom. Where were you last night? If you weren't in bed, and you weren't with me, where were you?" The last thing I needed was Tom with another girl because I wouldn't take our relationship to the next step.  
  
"I was in bed, Vickie, I just went to bed later on. I had to sit outside and cool down for a bit." He gave me a look. "So don't panic."  
  
"I'm not panicking," I replied in a calm voice. "I'm just a little upset now that Hogwarts is closing tomorrow night and my best friend is Petrified and you've been acting so strangely lately and you've been pushing me further and further and I really hate all this." I collapsed onto a chair and began sobbing again. Everything at once was just too much and I hated the trapped feeling it gave me. Where was Tom going to go when the school closed?  
  
I was suddenly aware that Tom had sat down in the chair beside me and pulled it really close to mine. "Don't worry, Vickie. I know who the attacker is."  
Those words got my attention. "You do? Who is it?" My heart began to race. "Tom, you have to tell someone. Now!"  
  
"Shhh. I will tell them. And I will tell you, just not right now. Later." With that, he stood up, kissed my lips lightly and turned to leave. I sat silently for several moments before going upstairs to pack. Not that I didn't trust Tom, but his plans have a tendency to backfire in his face. 


	3. Capture

I was just dozing off later that afternoon when the announcement came. I had been bored out of my mind with no classes. Several times I was tempted to do my homework, but then figured what's the use? The school would be closed by this time in a few days. Why bother?  
  
Several times I tried to reach Tom through Jordan, but he didn't know where Tom was. No one did. I tried asking the teachers, but they roamed the hallways mindlessly, hardly even listening to my inquiries. So I decided to get some rest before the train ride home tomorrow.  
  
The booming voice of Professor Dippet scared me at first and I practically rolled off the lounge chair in the common room. Jumping back up, looking around to make sure no one saw what I had done, I strained my ears to hear what was being said.  
  
"Students, please assemble in the Great Hall for an emergency meeting. Staff, please hurry to the second floor corridor for a quick briefing. Everyone, please hurry!" The headmaster's voice was not as subdued as I first expected. He almost sounded happy. It couldn't have been another attack because then he would have told us to remain in our common rooms until further notice. I would know; it had happened enough times.  
  
I dragged myself off the chair and down to the Great Hall where the teachers stood at the front smiling and beaming. My first thought was, "They've all gone insane," before I concluded that maybe this was it. Maybe the attacker had been caught and Hogwarts was not going to close after all. My thoughts were confirmed moments later by our Headmaster who was glowing.  
  
"The attacker was caught by one of our very own students!" he crowed, raising his hands. Cheers broke out through the Hall and I tried to contain my excitement. There would be no more attacks!  
  
"I would like to take this opportunity to announce that the school will not be closing!" This announcement was greeted with cheers and once again, I burst into tears. "Even better," Professor Dippet continued, "our very own Madam Pomfrey has come up with a solution to our Petrification problem so within a matter of a few days, all the Petrified people will be returned to their normal state!"  
  
My fellow students around me were going crazy with excitement. I felt it, too, and wiped the tears off of my face. Soon Trisha would be back and we could go back to living our every day normal lives. But why was there still a distressing feeling in the pit of my stomach that surfaced every time I thought about the whole ordeal?  
  
"Who caught the attacker? Who was the attacker?" someone called out. Professor Dippet turned towards the voice in the crowd.  
  
"I'm afraid that I can't answer that second question just yet," he told us collectively, "but I can tell you that thanks to Tom Riddle, the school will remain open!"  
  
My jaw dropped as Dawn and Amelia rushed to my side. "Did they say Tom Riddle?" Dawn asked, amazed at the fact that Tom could solve a mystery like that, yet not be able to put together a one hundred piece jigsaw puzzle.  
  
"That's your Tom!" Amelia cried, slapping me on the back. My jaw still agape, I managed to make my legs work. I stood up and made my way out of the Great Hall, paying no attention to the excited cheers around me. As I wandered through the hallways, I felt a lurching sensation in my stomach every time I thought of Tom and the mystery that he had solved. I don't know how I knew it; I wasn't sure I wanted to know it. But I knew, deep down in my secret put-a-way heart, that Tom had something to do with the attacks.  
  
I didn't realize that I was headed in the direction of Professor Dippet's office until I reached the looming gargoyle. Tom and I had been brought to the headmaster's office in the fall of last year for bringing Muggle fireworks to school and setting them off in the girls' washroom on the third floor. I knew that the password was a sort of food, so I started rambling off every food word I could think of, knowing fully that Professor Dippet would not be in his office. But something drew me there and I was determined to get in.  
  
"Vickie? Have you gone insane?" Tom's voice startled me from behind and I spun around on my heels to face him. My first instinct when I heard his voice was to turn and punch him dead square in the face. I didn't know why. But when I saw him, I melted and my tears started again. He caught me as I fell towards his open arms. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, Tom, Trisha will be okay soon!" Those were the only coherent words I could manage as the grief of the past few months took its toll on me and I cried harder than I did before. Tom did nothing but held me tight to him and I was grateful for the fact that he was sticking by my side.  
  
"Oh, and congratulations on catching the attacker," I blubbered through my massive array of tears. He laughed and hugged me tighter.  
  
"You poor thing. Go to bed and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He put his hand on my back and lead me to Gryffindor Tower, where I entered the common room, climbed the stairs to my room and fell face down on my bed for two hours of soothing, dreamless sleep.  
  
That evening there was a ceremony awarding Tom special services to the school. I almost missed it because I slept so late, but made it just in time to see Tom beaming at me from the Head Table. I felt proud, but the fact that my gut wouldn't let go of the thought of Tom being involved in the attacks still bothered me. I tried talking logic to myself. Tom isn't a killer, I told myself repeatedly. He caught the attacker. How could he be involved?  
  
Maybe it was a set up and he and the attacker were in on it together, said another, debating voice in my head. I grabbed both sides of my face and shook my head hard, trying to rid my brain of the schizophrenic tendencies within. Dawn was giving me a funny glance, but I smiled weakly at her and I guess she passed it off as stress. The mood in the Great Hall all evening was light and airy. Students were laughing and joking and having a good time and three of our professors got into a bit of alcoholic beverages and began singing and dancing up at the front during supper. When I went to bed that night, I felt as though I hadn't been there at all during the evening and it was though I witnessed it all through a glass television set.  
  
The jovial mood, however, ended the next morning as we realized we still had the tough matter of Myrtle's memorial service to face. Doreen Bradley had offered to sing Amazing Grace for us all and when she finished on the last note, there wasn't a dry eye left in the room. I sat close to Tom, clutching his arm, feeling as though I should have made an attempt to get to know Myrtle better. The only legacy future generations of Hogwarts students would know about her was that she was the girl murdered by the attacker. When Professor Dippet approached the podium, wiping tears from his red, round face, he asked each and every one of us to love and respect all our fellow beings, for one day, they, too, might be snatched from our clutches. It was a rather depressing speech, though it was a rather depressing day. Even the weather didn't want to cooperate. Outside, raindrops were pelting the windows of the castle like small hammers. The sound echoed throughout the dank hallways as Dawn, Amelia, Tom, Jordan and I made our way to the school library to do some reflecting of our own.  
  
"I just can't believe that Marlin's gone." Dawn sat down beside Amelia at the table, across from Tom, Jordan and I. I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue. Every time I heard someone say something nice about Myrtle, I wanted to scream. It made me so angry that in life, they treated her like part of the walls, yet when she was dead, people put her on a pedestal and acted as though they were her best friends.  
  
"Her name was Myrtle, not Marlin," I snapped at Dawn and she recoiled.  
  
"Well, sorry," she retorted, tossing her blonde hair out of her face. Leaning her chin on her fist, she glanced out the library window. "Why does it have to be so dreary? I was hoping to go swimming today."  
  
Once again, I bit my lip to keep from angrily snapping at Dawn. It was amazing how well she could bounce back from grief when I, who barely knew Myrtle at all, was still blubbering to myself, my head on Tom's shoulder, letting my tears fall freely to his robes. It almost made me sick.  
  
"I just can't believe that a student was killed," said Tom, his eyes focused outside on the falling rain. "It could have been any one of us."  
Silence reigned for a moment, until Dawn said, "Not me. I'm pureblood." Four pairs of eyes glared at her and she looked surprised. "What? So is Vickie and so is Jordan. It could have only been you two." She gestured to Tom and Amelia and Amelia's eyes dropped to the table. "It's not very likely that the attacker would come after me," Dawn continued.  
  
"If only we could be so lucky," Jordan muttered under his breath and I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing as Dawn shot him a dirty look.  
  
"I heard that."  
  
"If the rain lets up, we should go for a long walk. I think all of us need to get our minds off of the dreariness of the castle." Amelia's eyes were still downcast. It really bothered her, being Muggle born, although I didn't think much of it.  
  
"I think the sun needs to come out," replied Tom, "to give us a chance to breathe some fresh sunny air for a while."  
  
I nodded my head slowly. I just couldn't wait until Trisha was back to normal. Then I could be fully happy and relaxed. 


	4. Returning Times

Trisha wasn't released from the hospital wing until two days later. It was a joyous reunion when she entered our common room. She and I spent the entire night, cross-legged on our beds, discussing everything that had happened. I filled her in on as much as I possibly could, without scaring her.  
  
"So Tom caught the attacker," she said, obviously impressed. "Who was it?"  
  
I shrugged. "Don't know yet. Professor Dippet said he would tell us when things calmed down a little. It's been a little crazy lately, for obvious reasons." I found it a little strange that Trisha wouldn't know whom her own attacker was, but if she didn't want to talk about it, I wasn't going to ask.  
  
Trisha nodded knowingly. Something told me that she heard everything that was going on around her when she was Petrified, but didn't want to say anything. Madam Pomfrey had told me different, but what did she know? She had never been Petrified.  
  
Both Trisha and I fell asleep around seven the following morning, just as Dawn was crawling out of bed. Amelia was still asleep, her head buried under her pillow. "Morning," Dawn whispered as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She came around to our side of the room and hugged Trisha. "It's nice to see you in the morning again," she said before she left for the bathrooms.  
  
"It's nice to be back," Trisha muttered into her pillow when she lay back down. Moments later, we were both asleep.  
  
When I did wake, however, Trisha was standing over me with a huge grin on her face. "It's nearing one in the afternoon," she cried, "and Professor Dippet is just getting ready to announce who the attacker is!"  
  
That woke me up. I jumped up out of bed and Trisha, who had already dressed, threw me some clothes that I had left sitting on my trunk at the end of my bed. I ran to get dressed and we made it to the Great Hall in record time. Tom was sitting at the Slytherin table and he waved at us as we entered. "I had forgotten how cute he was," Trisha muttered to me as she waved back and I shoved her playfully. We took our seats beside Dawn and Amelia and Professor Dippet started to speak not even three minutes later.  
  
He gave a very short speech about what had happened during that time for the Petrified people (as if they hadn't talked to anyone and found out already) and we learned that the identity of the attacker was none other than Rubeus Hagrid, a sixth-year troublesome boy whom I had tutored in Transfiguration not even three months ago. To me, he seemed quiet and I found it hard to believe. Rumours were flying that Rubeus was the heir of Salazar Slytherin and controlled a monster that did all the attacks for him. I didn't know what to believe, so I kept my mouth shut the entire time. Dawn, on the other hand, had other plans.  
  
"I can believe it," she cried as we all left the Great Hall. "Rubeus is such a creepy kid; I can totally believe that it was him. There was no doubt in my mind as soon as Professor Dippet announced his name. I can't believe I didn't think of it already."  
  
"I'm glad I didn't listen to the rumours," Amelia piped up and we all turned to look at her. "I was told by several Slytherins that Tom was the attacker."  
  
I tried to force a laugh along with everyone else, but something stopped me. That didn't sound so outrageous to me. Tom did share some very common traits with Salazar Slytherin himself, and if the attacker was really Slytherin's heir and there really was this Chamber of Secrets that was spoke of, well, let me just say it wouldn't surprise me if Tom were involved.  
  
"You're not laughing, Vickie." Tom's voice was teasing, but his eyes were menacingly cold. I chucked, just to make him leave me alone, and pretended that I didn't believe it. But when the six of us headed outside, I made sure I walked in between Dawn and Trisha and not near Tom.  
  
Classes resumed the following Monday. Our exams were approaching faster than I would have liked and several of my professors had me working overtime to make sure I passed. Tom and I spent countless hours in the library studying for our Transfiguration finals. I was beginning to think that I would never get the hang of transfiguring anything.  
  
"I hate this!" I slammed my wand down after my fifth attempt to turn a book into a small lap-table. "This is ridiculous. When am I ever going to use this information in the real world? Never, that's when! So why do I have to do it?"  
  
"Mindless busywork," Tom replied, not taking his eyes off of the book in front of him. Looking up at me and seeing how frustrated I was, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, Vickie, you'll give yourself a heart attack."  
  
"Good," I muttered, picking up my wand and preparing to try again. "Then I won't have to do exams."  
  
The following Thursday evening, Jordan approached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with a proposal. "Everyone's been working hard on their exam prep," he said, eyeing Trisha in particular. "So I was thinking, why don't we take a weekend trip to Hogsmeade this weekend?"  
  
His idea wasn't met with as much enthusiasm as he would have liked for the four of us girls barely raised our heads in his direction. Tom advanced on our table after Jordan and tried his hand at persuading us. "Girls, you're overworking your brains," he said, putting his hands on my shoulders and gently rubbing. "You need a break."  
  
"Easy for you to say," mumbled Dawn as she chewed on a strand of her hair. "You don't have parents that will eat you alive if you don't pass."  
I gave her a dirty look but Tom actually laughed. "You're right, Dawn, I don't. And maybe that's why I don't act like I have a stick up my ass."  
  
"Let's cool it down a little," I said, throwing myself in front of Dawn as she jumped up from the table in anger. "I think the boys are right. We do need a little cooling down. I don't know about you girls, but my brain has had about all it can take of incoming information."  
  
Trisha nodded slowly. "I guess I could use a break. I feel as though if I read one more sentence, my brain will explode."  
  
"Can you two make amends for a trip together?" Amelia asked, eyeing Dawn and Tom. Dawn was staring at him, gritting her teeth menacingly.  
  
"I can always handle Dawn," Tom said, winking in her direction. "You just have to know how."  
  
I was glad that Amelia wrapped her arms around Dawn's waist before she tried to claw her way against the table. However, she agreed to put aside their differences for the weekend and have a good time. I had to be grateful for that at least, because Dawn was a very unrelenting person when she wanted to be. 


	5. Hogsmeade

Friday's lessons came and went and before I knew it, I was packing for the weekend. Ever since the attacks had ended, I had such a pain in my stomach, it felt as if someone were trying to shove forty knives in my abdomen. I almost doubled over in pain during my Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. I confessed my fears about Tom being involved with the attacks to Trisha a few days prior to our trip and her response was pretty much the way I imagined it: "Are you crazy, Vickie?"  
  
As we left our dorm, I began to wonder. Was I really crazy? Was I really losing my mind? Was I suspecting my poor, innocent boyfriend of crimes that he really didn't commit? I hated myself for doing so, but something in my inner brain wouldn't relent.  
  
"Are you decent?" Trisha called through the portrait when we reached the Slytherin wing. We waited patiently outside of someone to come open the portrait.  
  
"Are we ever decent?" came Jordan's voice back through the portrait and Trisha and I laughed. We both knew the answer.  
  
"Are the other girls meeting us there?" Tom asked as we prepared to leave the castle. I nodded and rolled my eyes.  
  
"Dawn's bringing a guy. Big surprise there." We trucked through the entranceway and threw our stuff into a carriage. Tom helped me in and I pulled him in after me. "He's her new beau. The third one this month."  
  
"She goes through more guys than she does pair of underpants," Trisha groaned as she heaved herself into the carriage. Leaning over the side, she tried to pull Jordan in beside her. Tom had to help her a little. "Dawn needs to learn her priorities," she finished when everyone was seated comfortably in the carriage. I leaned against Tom as we started out, eager to forget all about my suspicions.  
  
Hogsmeade hadn't changed much since we saw it last. It's a quaint little village that makes you feel all warm inside. As the horses trotted closer to the Three Broomsticks, the inn where we had rooms booked, I leaned up further to see what was going on. There was always a bit of excitement in the only all-wizarding village left in Britain.  
  
"Welcome everyone!" cried Harvey, the manager of the Three Broomsticks. He was a plump man that liked to yell often. He didn't mean to, he just got so excited that he lost track of his vocals. "You're rooms are ready; why don't you get settled in and then we can all have a few drinks together before dinner?"  
  
"I like this guy," whispered Jordan. "Drinks!"  
  
"He means like soft drinks or tea, dummy," hissed Trisha as we climbed the stairs to the bedroom hallway. There were four hallways upstairs, one with eight rooms each. We had gotten three rooms: one for Dawn and Amelia, one for Trisha and I, and one for Tom, Jordan and Dawn's guy. I knew it wouldn't last that way and that there would be some bed- switching going on. I just hoped I wasn't going to be involved with that.  
  
Trisha and I unloaded our luggage at the foot of our beds. I loved the rooms at the Three Broomsticks. They were so homey, it made you feel like you fit right in. The rooms were almost cabin-style, with wood furnishings and small fireplaces in the corner. I breathed in the scent of pine and flopped down on the bed. "You would think we had packed for a month," I said, searching for a more comfortable position away from my luggage.  
  
Trisha laughed. "We always pack like that! Imagine when we pack to go home at the end of this year." She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. "What do you say we go get the boys?"  
  
I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at her. "What's happening with you and Jordan? Any fireworks yet?"  
  
She blushed but shook her head. "He's in Slytherin, Vickie."  
  
"So is Tom."  
  
"But that's different. You two are soul mates. Jordan and I are, well, friends."  
  
"Uh huh." I nodded, grinning at Trisha. Then I jumped up and opened the door. "Let's go get our guys, shall we?"  
  
I tried knocking on their door, but there was no answer. I banged harder, thinking they were just being deaf, but no one answered. Slowly I opened the door. "Hello? Anyone home?"  
  
"I'm here! Kind of!" Jordan's voice reverberated in the room and he appeared out of the closet. "Tom's in the shower. I'm just heading down to get some munchies for tonight. Anyone want anything?"  
  
"No, but I'll go with you," Trisha said, winking at me. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."  
  
"Ooooh, Vickie," Jordan teased as they left the room. "Just don't break either of the beds!"  
  
I shook my head when the door closed and sat down on the bed. Tom's overnight bag was halfway open and being the nosy girl that I was, I decided to root through it. I saw several books at the bottom of the bag, and I rummaged through to get them. Holding them at arm's length, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "How to Conduct Dark Magic in a Light Environment." "Forty Ways to Getting Your Way." "A Guide to the Dark Arts." What did Tom need all these books for? Shaking my head, I replaced the books back in the bag, just as the water shut off. Trying to make it look as though I hadn't touched a thing, I sat with my hands folded in my lap, looking as innocent as my conscious would possibly let me.  
  
Tom appeared no more than five minutes later, dressed in casual clothes, drying his hair with a towel. "Vickie!" he said, looking rather surprised. "I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"Jordan let us in," I replied, standing to his height. He was a few inches taller than me, and that sometimes worked to his advantage. I felt a little intimidated often around him.  
  
"Us?" He smiled. "Do you have an imaginary friend that I don't know about?"  
  
"No." I shook my head. "Trisha came with me, but she and Jordan went to get some snacks."  
  
"What's going on with those two anyway?" Tom leaned over his bag and began searching through it. I held my breath, hoping that he wouldn't notice anything had been moved.  
  
"Um, I don't know. Trisha says nothing." I waited a moment until he zipped the back up, and then let out a sigh of relief. "But I think she has a thing for him."  
  
"Well, he certainly likes her. She's all he talks about. Do you want to go find them, or wait here for them?" He finished drying his hair and tossed the towel on the floor. I went over to it, picked it up and folded it neatly on the dresser. Glancing in the mirror, I saw that he was coming up behind me. I turned around and he kissed me gently on the lips. "I would rather stay in, wouldn't you?" he said in a husky voice.  
  
I felt trapped. I hated feeling that he was pressuring me, and I knew that deep inside, he didn't want to. Yet, I still felt there was some underlying meaning as to the recent demands.  
  
"No, Tom, actually I would rather go look for them." I backed away, unable to look him in the eye and headed for the door. "I'm going to go get something from my room first. I'll meet you back here in a few moments." I opened the door and ran to my own room, nearly missing Dawn and Amelia on the way.  
  
"Vickie!" Dawn cried, indignantly. "You almost hit me!"  
  
"Sorry," I replied before slamming my own door. I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands. What a nightmare. This was ridiculous, running from my own boyfriend. Tom was so sweet and caring; I didn't want to hurt him anymore than I already had.  
  
A knock sounded on the door and Amelia's voice came through: "Vickie? Can I come in?"  
  
I got up and opened the door, relieved to see just Amelia standing there. She smiled at me and said, "Don't mind Dawn. She's just upset because her boy cancelled on her at the last minute."  
  
"And she couldn't find another date?" I quipped, feeling hostile towards Dawn. Ever since the whole Myrtle thing, with Dawn acting like she had been Myrtle's best friend, I felt as though Dawn was maybe a little too stuck up to be called a friend of mine.  
  
Amelia shook her head. "You know Dawn. If she's unhappy, the rest of her company has to be unhappy, too."  
  
"Who's unhappy?" Trisha entered the room, closing the door softly behind her. "I just ran into Dawn," she continued, without waiting for an answer. "Who stuck their wand up her butt? She's in a usually annoying mood." Trisha sat on the bed beside me, where I had taken my place. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon," she kidded, looking at me.  
  
"Shut up, Trisha," I replied, pushing her playfully. "I'm not like that."  
  
"I know you're not. But Tom is."  
  
Amelia just smiled at us and mentioned that we should go enjoy the town before it got dark. Agreeing, we left our room, met up with Dawn in the hallway and joined the boys, who had already made their way downstairs. Tom smiled at me as I descended the staircase and for a brief moment's time, I forgot all about what I had found. 


	6. Rough Edges

The rest of the weekend went smoothly until Sunday, right before we left for school. The six of us had been enjoying the town almost every night. Tom hadn't said another word to me about what happened in his room, nor did it seem to bother him as much once the weekend wore on. We were all in high spirits while we packed to go back to school. Only a few more weeks and we would be free of school for the summer. It seemed almost too good to be true. Tom was coming home with me for the summer holidays; that had been arranged for months now. My mother wrote almost every week, telling me what a nice boy he was and how she could tell he really respected me. I didn't dare tell her what he had been mentioning lately.  
  
It all started when we were packing our stuff in the carriage to go back to school. Dawn had been acting oddly all weekend, and this was odd, even for her. I could tell she was a little put out still by the cancellation of her guy friend, but enough was enough. She was moping around the inn like her best friend had just moved away, and I for one, was tired of it.  
  
Just before she climbed into one of the carriages (Dawn, Amelia and Jordan were taking one and Trisha, Tom and I were taking the other) she muttered something like, "Gee, you couldn't separate Tom and Vickie for two seconds, now, could you? Heaven forbid."  
  
That was the last straw. I spun around from talking to Trisha and said, "You know what, Dawn? I've had just about enough of you and your attitude. So you were dumped. Get over it! If that's the worst thing that happened to you this week, you were lucky!"  
  
She looked at me as if I had slapped her and recoiled in anger. "How dare you?" she cursed at me, jumping back down from the carriage. "Just because we all don't have the perfect relationship like you and your perfect boyfriend doesn't mean we aren't human!" Suddenly her face contorted and she smiled a wicked smile. Moving closer, she hissed, "I could tell you things about perfect Tom that would make your hair curl."  
  
Trisha intercepted before I could reply. "Dawn, enough. Get in the carriage."  
  
"Who are you, my mother?" Dawn answered. "You can't tell me what to do." But reluctantly, she climbed into the carriage, her eyes maliciously glaring at me. I stared back at her until they were loaded and the carriage had left. Jordan gave me a sympathetic look as they took off.  
  
"What was that all about?" Tom asked, coming up behind me. I turned to face him and for the first time in all the years I had known him, I felt as though I couldn't trust him. Without a word, I climbed into our own carriage and waited with my arms crossed until we left. I didn't say a word to either Trisha or Tom on the way back, and neither of them pressed me.  
  
I hardly saw Tom for a few days when we returned to school. Either he was busy studying or I was busy doing something. It seemed as though neither of us had time for each other anymore. But for some reason, it didn't bother me as much as I had thought it would. I still had my sinking doubts about Tom's innocence on so many levels, but for the better part of it, I kept it hidden.  
  
Dawn wouldn't even look at me, which makes it extremely difficult to live with a person like that. On quite a few occasions, I had the urge to apologize to her and make everything right, but it wasn't entirely my fault. If she hadn't been moping around the inn, making all of our lives a living hell, then I wouldn't have said what I did. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel bad about it, but on the other hand, I had more important things to worry about.  
  
After my Divination class on Thursday, I found Tom waiting outside for me. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he smiled and I forgot all about being angry and frustrated. He hugged me tight and said, "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."  
  
"It hasn't been that long," I replied. "We only got back on Sunday."  
  
"Let's take a walk." It was more of a statement than a suggestion and I willingly followed him outside to the tree where we always sat. The weather was still gorgeous, with the sun shining on the water, reflecting the great castle behind us. On a spring day like that, it was hard to believe that it wasn't even a month ago that so many horrible things took place within the castle walls. The reminiscence of Myrtle's death was fading fast for most of the student population, yet I still found it sad every time I walked past her Potions class and looked at her empty seat. If a person entered a classroom that day, no one would ever know that a month ago, death loomed in the hallways and in every corner.  
  
When we were settled, Tom looked at me and said, "So what do your parents have planned for this summer?"  
  
"Well, they're going to Germany for a few weeks in July," I said. "You and I are staying home."  
  
"Alone?" Mischief rang in his eyes and I felt compelled to burst his bubble before he got too excited.  
  
"Along with my sister."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But they also want us all to go to London and stay for a few days," I continued to brighten his mood. "And Mom says she trusts us enough to stay in the same room at the hotel."  
  
"She trusts me?" Tom's voice was incredulous.  
  
"You know my mother," I replied. "She'll probably have cameras everywhere." Looking at my watch, I said, "I guess we're staying here for lunch."  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, neither am I."  
  
Silence hung between us for several moments and it suddenly occurred to me, after six years of education here, that Hogwarts could be a very boring place sometimes. I opened up my book and began to study.  
  
"Divination?" Tom asked and I nodded without looking up. "Have you guys done planetary effects for review yet?"  
  
"Yeah. We're now working on placement values of certain moons." I held up the book to show him a diagram. Tom also took Divination, but his class was two periods after mine.  
  
"Want to study together?" he asked.  
  
"Sure. Do you want to take my exam for me?"  
  
Tom laughed. "Okay, but if I fail it for you, you can't get mad at me."  
  
"You won't fail. You're smart." I suddenly felt very depressed. "Tom, why are you with a girl like me? I'm not half as smart as you. I'm not talented. I'm not as good at anything, like you. Why do you waste your time with me?"  
  
He moved closer to me and gently placed my face in his hands. Tilting my head towards him, he kissed me gently and I felt a sensation that I had never felt before. I felt like my entire body was being lowered into a hot bath. I kissed him back and felt him laying me down on the cool grass. My mind was screaming at me, but my body was betraying me. Moments went by and I knew I had to stop before things went too far.  
  
"Tom, no." I sat up and he moved away from me, breathing heavily. "Not here. Not now."  
  
"I'm sorry, Vickie," he whispered. "But I do love you. That's why I'm with you."  
  
I nodded, but there was something behind his words. Something I couldn't quite trust. Standing up, I organized my stuff and held it to my chest. "I've got to go." And I left before he could get a word in otherwise.  
  
That night, I fell asleep rather early, compared to my other nights. I found it difficult to lay awake and listen to Dawn whine to Amelia about how she hated me and how cruel and heartless I was. Half the time, I think Amelia dozed off and only awoke when Dawn started crying, "Amelia! Sometimes I think you don't really listen to me at all."  
  
Usually, I can sleep through the night without waking, but that night was different. By eleven o'clock, I had woken up three separate times and I was exhausted. Knowing that I had several harsh exam reviews the next day, I tried hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. But nothing worked. After considering a sleeping spell, and recalling what had happened to poor Thelma Bernstein when she tried it, I decided against it. I rather liked my eyes to close when I slept. It took Thelma three weeks to get her eyes back to normal again.  
  
Sitting up in bed, I noticed that Dawn's bed was empty. Figuring she had gone to the washroom, I waited patiently, thinking maybe if I emptied my bladder, I could sleep peacefully. When ten minutes had passed, I started getting a little worried. Had she fallen in? Getting up to go bang on the door and really let her have it, I noticed that the washroom door was wide open and the light was off. So where was she?  
  
Our dorm room door was slightly open so I stuck my head out just in time to catch Dawn sneaking out the portrait hole downstairs. Quietly, and quickly after throwing on my school robes, I followed her, eager to see where she was going. Tracking her down the school hallway, making sure to stay out of her sight, I dodged behind pillars whenever she would turn around to check and see if anyone had seen her. I didn't realize where we were until she was almost in the doorway. Dawn had gone straight to the washroom where they had found Myrtle's body. 


	7. Chambers of the Heart

She went inside and closed the door behind her. Sneaking up to it, I pressed my ear against the door and listened. She was talking to someone. I heard her say, "No one saw me. Can you show me now?"  
  
A boy's voice answered with, "Okay, but you can't tell a soul." The voice sounded an awful lot like Tom's. I then heard the same boy's voice speak a very strange language-a language that no normal person should speak. The words ended as fast as they had started. Then I heard an awful scraping sound, like someone was moving cement against cement. Then the boy's voice again. "You go first. When you get to the bottom, wait for me."  
  
I didn't hear anything else for a few moments and I decided to risk it. Sticking my head in the doorway, I saw that the washroom was empty. But the rows of sinks in the centre of the room had separated. A dark, looming hole was in the centre. Maybe it was insanity, maybe it was incessant curiosity. But I jumped down that hole. I jumped into the blackness and bit my tongue so I wouldn't scream.  
  
It was like a slide at a park. Only at the park, when you got to the bottom, there was usually sand. Here, there was an awful crunching sound and when I looked down I saw thousand of small animal skeletons. Recoiling in horror, I jumped through the first tunnel I saw. Sensing shadows ahead, I drew my wand from my robes, feeling thankful that I had thought to put them on, I headed towards the shadows.  
  
There was no noise, except that of the odd squeak from a rat by my feet. I followed the shadows, lurking to avoid being seen. What was this place? We were obviously deep under the castle. But why would Dawn want to come here? I knew she had tried some pretty strange places with guys, but this was just sick. It seemed like I had been walking for an hour when I heard the boy speak the same language and a loud clicking sound echoed through the tunnel I was standing in. I waited again, for several moments, before I advanced towards the voices. I found myself standing at what looked like a vertical manhole. It was open and I stepped forward. There was a small ladder in front of me, leading down, so I climbed down it and found myself facing one of the most frightening scenes I had ever witnessed.  
  
It was a chamber. All of a sudden, thoughts came rushing to my head and everything clicked into place. The Chamber of Secrets that everyone spoke of was real. Rubeus was really Salazar Slytherin's heir and he did use the monster here to kill people. But if Rubeus was Slytherin's heir, then who had led Dawn down here? And where were they?  
  
Moving forward towards the giant statue of Slytherin's head (kind of eerie, I know) I pressed on with caution. I felt jumpier than a cat and every slight noise scared me out of my wits. I almost screamed three times on the short walk. When I got to the front of the chamber, I looked around. Where was Dawn? Surely, she couldn't have gotten that far.  
  
"Vickie."  
  
There was that voice again. Knowing who it was, before I turned, I faced the dark shadows of the statue to find Tom standing against the wall. I was torn. Half of my body tried to run to him, and be comforted, while the other half stood in place. I was forced to make a snap decision and I ran to him, stopping short of him, three feet in front of him.  
  
His eyes were neither cold, nor happy. He expressed no emotions whatsoever. When he spoke, his voice was level. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I, um, wanted to know what was going on." It was a pretty lame excuse, but it didn't seem to reflect on him. He looked so casual, leaning against the rock, his arms crossed in front of him. In one hand was his wand and he was tapping it patiently against the rock.  
  
"Nothing's going on," he replied in that calm voice. I felt like screaming until Professor Dippet could hear in the castle and scratching at the walls in agony. I felt so completely frustrated, and for no reason at all. I was confused and I wanted answers.  
  
"You shouldn't be here, Victoria," he said. Using my full name was never a good sign. "You should be in bed, asleep, getting your rest."  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Tom?"  
  
"I'm feeling fine."  
  
I felt a little braver for a quick moment, so I asked, "Where's Dawn? Why did you bring her down here?"  
  
"Dawn wanted to see my secret hideaway, Vickie. You should not be here."  
  
"Your secret hideaway?" For a moment, I felt completely puzzled and lost. How could Tom get into Slytherin's chamber? How was he able to find it if Rubeus was the heir? Unless Tom was the heir. But that was crazy talk-wasn't it?  
  
Tom noticed the change in my expression and he nodded slowly. "Yes, Victoria. It was I. I was responsible for Myrtle's death. I was responsible for all those attacks. I was responsible for Rubeus Hagrid being blamed. It was all me, Vickie, all me. And in case you haven't noticed, I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin."  
  
I felt as though my stomach had dropped to the floor. I was unable to speak and my first instinct was to run, as fast as my legs would carry me, back up the ladder and through the tunnel to safety. But I stood my ground. No matter how he acted, Tom was still Tom and I could handle him.  
  
"Why?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice maintained. "Why did you do it?"  
"Don't be such a fool, Victoria!" he spat at me, circling me like a hawk. "You know the legends. How Slytherin absolutely detested people who weren't purebloods. How he wanted his school to be designated for all- magic families. How he loathed anyone who wasn't fit to attend his school, yet somehow made it in. So I vowed to continue his work and finish off all the Mudbloods in the school. I started with attacks; it seemed the easiest way to ease my way into it. I then planned to move on to killings. Myrtle was an accident. I came into the washroom to come here and cause another attack, but Myrtle heard me and exited the stall she had been in, crying about something or other. It wasn't really my fault. I did feel kind of bad, but she deserved it for worming her way into Hogwarts in the first place."  
  
My heart was beating like a tin drum. I only hoped Tom couldn't hear it. I felt as though I was drifting through an endless time of confusion and pain. I didn't know why, but I felt such a deep emotional pain that I dropped to the ground, clutching my wand to my chest. I noticed that Tom made a move to check on me, but stopped himself before he got anywhere near me. "Where's Dawn?" I managed to croak out.  
  
Tom smiled maliciously. "Dawn's my helper now, Vickie. And now that you know my secret, you must suffer the consequences."  
  
I had been reading romance novels all my life. I knew what the look between a man and a woman who love each other should look like. So I sat tall and closed my eyes, prepared to take the aim of Tom's wand. But nothing came. Opening my one eye slowly, I noticed Tom's arm shaking. When he saw that I was looking at him, he straightened his arm and aimed his wand at me again. "Goodbye, Victoria," he said and I heard his voice echo off the walls. It's funny how you notice little things like that in desperate times. I closed my eyes again, but once again, nothing. This time, I opened them both wide and saw that Tom had lowered his wand.  
  
"Human emotion," he stated simply. "It's a strange thing. I've felt anger towards my parents. I've felt hatred towards those who don't understand me. But I've never felt anything quite like this." He dropped to his knees and the emotional pain inside me ceased. I crawled over to him and put my hands on his. He looked up into my eyes.  
  
"It's love, Tom," I said quietly. "You can't fight something like that. You can try to struggle, but you just can't do it."  
  
He lowered his eyes to the ground again before the fire returned to them. "Join me, Victoria," he said, heatedly. "Join me in my escapades. Join me in my quest for domination. Be by my side for all eternity. Be with me, Vickie. I need you."  
  
I knew that if I were to have any chance at surviving this, I would have to play along. Yet there was something inside me that burned at the sound of his words. He did need me. I was his weakness. He couldn't handle love; it made him defenceless. I could change his ways just by being myself. And damn it, I was going to try.  
  
"What do you want, Tom?" I asked simply. "What do you want?"  
  
"I don't want to be Tom Riddle anymore," he replied. "I've found a new name for myself, based on my old one. One that will one day strike fear into the hearts of everyone when they hear it. A name that will survive me long after I am gone. A name that is strong and resolute. A name that will guide me."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
He grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Lord Voldemort," he said, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "The name that will make me great."  
  
I nodded. To me, it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but if it was what he wanted, I would go with it. "Voldemort," I whispered to myself. When he looked questioningly at me, I said, "Just trying it out."  
  
I heard a soft groan from over in the shadows and I swung my eyes that way. Dawn was on the ground, crawling to us, holding her head in pain. When she got to be about six feet away, she stood, although wobbly, and started towards us. Tom's back was to her, and he didn't see her, but I did. Indecisive as to whether I should alert him, or let her bash his skull in, I decided to point casually towards her. Tom turned and raised his wand. Shouting a curse I had never heard before, a streak of green light shot out of the end of his wand and Dawn fell to the ground in a heap. Crawling away from Tom and to her, I checked her pulse.  
  
"She's dead!" 


	8. Depletion

"What else did you expect?" Tom's voice was cold and insensitive as he stood over me, looking down at her body. "You'll have to make some sacrifices, Victoria, if you want to be with me."  
  
"Not if you're going to kill my friends!" I shouted at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. When I pointed out that she was coming towards him, I didn't think he would kill her.  
  
"She knew too much, Vickie," Tom said. "When you and I leave in the morning to start our own lives, she would have gone straight to Dippet and told him how evil I was and that I must be stopped." He shook his head. "If she wasn't so desperate in the first place, she wouldn't have found out."  
  
I looked up at him. This was news to me. Seeing the confusion in my face, he explained. "She came to me, about three weeks ago, whining about how no guy truly appreciated her and how much she respected me. That soon led to how great I was and that led to how much she wanted me. She said she knew that I wasn't getting anywhere with you, so she would be available whenever I wanted. It was tempting, Vickie, but I never touched her."  
  
"Why not?" I asked, feeling betrayed and deceived.  
  
"Love," he replied simply. "As much as I hate to admit it, love. Anyway, I told her I wanted to meet her in the girls' washroom where they found Myrtle's body. She agreed and I led her down here, telling her that it was a better place because we wouldn't be caught. When we got here, I placed a simple sleeping spell on her, to knock her out while I planned my escape. I was going to leave her down here, but I figured eventually someone would hear her screaming for help. She has such a big mouth."  
  
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "So you killed her instead."  
  
"She's not the first and she's definitely not the last," he replied. "There will have to be other killings, Victoria, if I want to get my point across."  
  
I just shook my head as he continued. "Now, Vickie, we must go. We'll get out of here, pack and be gone by the morning. They'll know our faces when we've got the entire world under control." His eyes were glowing embers in the smouldering smokiness of my brain. He was enjoying this, whereas I felt physically sick at the thought of leaving Dawn's body here to rot. Sure, she was a bitch, but she was my friend and I loved her.  
  
Standing up, I nodded, defenceless for the moment. "Okay, Tom," I said, taking his hand. "Let's go."  
  
He nodded and we began walking back towards the ladder. Could I really do it? Could I give up my life here and begin one with him, not as Tom Riddle, but as Lord Voldemort? Did I really want to make that transition? Could I make that transition?  
  
Once we reached the landing of the girls' washroom again, reality really began to hit me. Dawn was dead. Myrtle was dead. I hated myself. And I was beginning to feel a pretty strong hatred for Tom at that moment, too. I hated the smug look on his face and I hated the way he looked at me like he was devouring me in his mind. But I kept quiet and we pressed on through the quiet eeriness of the castle to Gryffindor Tower, where he left me.  
  
"Pack and be ready in no more than two hours," he told me, just before departing for the Slytherin section of the castle. "And try to pack light, Vickie; we're going to be travelling far." He turned and walked away then, leaving me in despair. It wasn't as if I wanted to go with him in the first place. Now he was telling me that I had to fit my entire life at Hogwarts into a few simple bags? This was too much. Against my will, I climbed the stairs to the dorms, once inside the common room, and began throwing random things in the smallest bag I had.  
  
Feeling as though my head were in a cloud, I couldn't help looking at Trisha and Amelia, thinking how peaceful and happy they looked. What heartache they would feel in the morning when they discovered Dawn was gone. And how tragic it was that no one would ever find her body. It hurt me to think of how much suffering they would endure, wondering if Dawn was alive or dead, whether she was suffering, or whether she was even conscious. Only then it struck me that I would not be here, either, so the same thoughts would be running rampant about me.  
  
Tired of daydreaming, I put myself into gear. I would have to play along for the time being until I could talk some sense into Tom. I didn't want to have to leave the girls without saying goodbye, but I knew that Tom would be waiting for me and I couldn't leave a note. Saying a silent goodbye, I sneaked out the door and away from Gryffindor Tower forever. 


	9. Sorry Isn't Enough

Forever turned into an awfully short time within a matter of minutes. As soon as Tom met me at the portrait hole to Gryffindor's common room, we heard a booming voice behind us. "Where do you think you two are going?"  
  
I spun around to come face to face with Professor Dumbledore. I had never been happier to see him in my life. Fighting the sudden urge to hug him for comfort, I stammered, searching for a reply. "Um, well, you see, we were going outside for a bit."  
  
Dumbledore looked at me sceptically and I avoided his eye glance. "With luggage?" he asked, eyeing our bags.  
  
"We were planning on staying a while, sir," Tom piped up, sounding like his old self. It was a tad comforting to hear the old Tom back, if even for a short amount of time.  
  
Professor Dumbledore nodded slowly as if he were pondering something. Finally, he gave a definite nod and said, "Well, you can wait until the morning to go outside. I'm sure you have your reasons, but for now, you will both return to your dormitories and remain there until morning. Is that understood?" He was looking at the both of us, but his eyes focused mainly on Tom. Tom nodded solidly and tried to bear down on his glaring eyes. "Mr. Riddle, you will go to your dormitory immediately while I escort your partner in crime to her dormitory."  
  
Grateful for the interruption, I steered away from Tom's eyes and let myself be led to Gryffindor Tower. As we moved further away from Tom's departing figure, Dumbledore spoke. "Have you noticed anything strange about your friend Tom lately, Victoria?"  
  
Well, hell, where did he want me to start? Taking into consideration the fact that Tom had revealed to me that he was Slytherin's heir, killed Myrtle and Dawn, attacked several others and practically forced me to run away with him, I thought I handled the situation rather well when I answered, "Nope."  
  
Dumbledore gave me a harsh glance. "I fear your friend could be trouble," he said softly, with a hand on my back. "Please be careful around him, Victoria. We don't need anymore trouble in the castle." We reached the portrait hole and I spat out the password, bidding Dumbledore goodnight. He left, looking puzzled, but somewhat content.  
  
Once buried down in the covers of my bed, despite the hot weather, I felt safe and warm. I never wanted to leave it, knowing what tomorrow would bring. Tom would once again persuade me to leave with him and I didn't want to. I liked my life here at Hogwarts, and I was only going to be here another year. A river of tears began to trickle down my face as I thought about poor murdered Dawn. Why didn't I do anything to stop him?  
  
There wasn't time, replied the voice of reason in my head. She didn't stand a chance. Although I was angry at the fact of learning Dawn had come on to Tom, knowing how deeply involved I was with him, I was still going to miss her incredibly. She had been my roommate for the past six years and I dreaded waking up in the morning to see her empty bed. Closing my eyes, I hoped that everything would seem clearer in the morning.  
  
Things were clearer, but the castle was in disarray. I awoke to Trisha shaking me, asking desperately where Dawn was. It was my chance to tell her everything about last night. It was my only chance to tell her that Tom, my boyfriend and the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, was nothing more than an evil, cold-blooded killer and that Dawn's body was in Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, miles below the school. It was my chance to warn her that Tom was Slytherin's heir and that he wasn't safe to be around.  
  
"Do you know where she is, Vickie?"  
  
"No, Trisha, I don't."  
  
Okay, so I blew it. Big time. I felt incredibly guilty at the thought of Dawn's body, alone, under the castle, while I sat up in the warm rooms, being grilled by professors about Dawn's last whereabouts. "Did she have any enemies?" Professor Binns asked me that afternoon.  
  
"Not that I know of," I replied, the guilt eating away inside me. I was itching to see Tom that day, but at the same time dreading it. I wanted to know what his reaction would be to Dawn's "disappearance". Yet, I did not want to hear what crazy plan he had cooked up next. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when he arrived at Gryffindor Tower, wrapped me in a hug and whispered in my ear, "Don't you worry. I'm sure everything will turn out okay."  
  
Standing back, I looked in his eyes and saw nothing but the Tom I had known for what felt like forever. Making a snap decision, I decided to leave the situation alone and pretend it never happened.  
  
The school authorities searched for Dawn for another three weeks before concluding that she ran away. Her parents visited the school and were devastated at the news. Dawn's mother, whom I had grown to know and like over the years we had been friends, was a mess, with her red, swollen eyes and puffy cheeks. I felt so horrible that I wanted to blurt out the whole mess to them, right then and there. It would serve Tom right for putting me in this position. But I chickened out and didn't say a word. If Tom wasn't going to acknowledge that night, neither was I.  
  
Exams came and went and school ended for the year. Amelia, despondent at the fact that Dawn had run away, went home to her parents and I found it extremely doubtful that she would return the following year. She was often talking about going to a "regular" school back home and studying "regular" things. It seemed likely that she would do that now.  
  
Trisha returned home to her parents, also, but I knew for a fact that she would be back the following year. Jordan and her had become quite an item after the disappearance of Dawn. "He's such a great guy," she gushed, just before we boarded the train back home. "I can't believe I was ever shallow enough to think I wouldn't date him because he was in Slytherin."  
  
To myself, I thought, you don't know the danger of a true Slytherin guy, but on the outside, I just smiled. It was nice to see her happy; I just hoped that Jordan turned out to be saner than Tom.  
  
And dear old Tom came home with me for the summer holidays, as planned. Not a word was ever spoken about that night and Dawn's death. Whenever her disappearance was brought about, Tom would either change the subject, or comment on how odd it seemed that she would just up and leave. If no one else noticed, I caught the twinkle in his eye as he said it. It made me sick. Every passing day during the summer, I found myself growing more and more distant from him. I couldn't look him in the eye anymore, nor could I talk to him. I didn't want him around and whenever my mother tried to talk to me about it, I tuned her out. As much as I hated to admit it, I had outgrown Tom Riddle.  
  
Three weeks before we were due back at school, I decided that I had enough. Tom was acting though nothing had happened, and it was eating away inside me like mad. I couldn't bear another minute, worrying about Dawn's body in the Chamber, and wondering how Tom would act when school started again.  
  
Tom and I were sitting outside my house, in the backyard, looking over the fence at my neighbour's house. Tom was deep in a conversation, more with himself than anyone, about what he planned to do after school and I listened mindlessly.  
  
"Vickie? You're acting oddly."  
  
Just the sound of those words made me want to jump up and claw madly at his face. He acted so concerned, as if he really didn't remember what had happened. I would have believed that theory, too, if it weren't for the three stacks of Dark Arts books I had found in his room over the summer.  
  
"I'm dreaming, Tom. Don't interrupt me." I didn't look at him, but I could sense his eyes prying at my back for answers.  
  
"Okay, Vick, what's up? You've been acting so strange all summer. What's going on?"  
  
This was it. Truth or flop. I turned my body around to face him and held his hands tightly in my lap. "Tom Riddle, you know I love you. I always have and I always will. But I just can't be with you right now." The tears started to fall, fast and furious, just like I had feared. Tom's emotions didn't change and I continued. "There are so many differences between us, I can't even begin to describe them. You want so much for yourself and I expect so little from myself. I can't match up to you, Tom. I've tried for so many years, but I just can't do it anymore."  
  
He was silent for a moment, looking off into the distance. When he looked back at me, I actually saw that his eyes had gone misty. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice breaking on the last note. Sadly, I nodded my head. It had to be done.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tom. I really am."  
  
He shook his head and turned away. I knew that he wanted to be alone, so I stood up and left him sitting on the back deck, pondering what I had just said. It was then that I made the decision that would affect the rest of my life. 


	10. Lord Voldemort

That was forty years ago. After that conversation with Tom, I called my cousin in Australia and asked her if I could stay with her for a while and go to school there. She agreed and by mid-October, I was settled in at Lawson's School for Girls. I came home during holidays and on vacations, but very rarely did my family ever speak of Tom Riddle. When I returned from school, two years after I had left, my mother had told me that Tom had graduated from Hogwarts and moved away. Where, she didn't say. Nor did I really want to know.  
  
Every once in a while, I would receive an owl from Trisha, talking about her last year at school and how much I missed. "Tom was different when he returned that summer," she wrote to me one time. "And something tells me that he will never be the same again." When I wrote her back, I never mentioned Tom. It was like an unspoken rule between us girls.  
  
Nor did I ever mention word of Dawn's death. Amelia, as I predicted, did not return to Hogwarts that year and Trisha has not heard from her since. I'm sad about that because Amelia was a good friend of mine and I did care about her. Whatever she is doing, I hope she is happy and doing well.  
  
Not even two years ago, Trisha married Jordan. They now have a beautiful baby girl, with another baby on the way. I couldn't be happier for her, but one thing stands in the way of their pure bliss. Recently, a horror came over the wizarding world. A nightmare so horrific that no witch or wizard will leave their homes unless they absolutely have to. A dark force has taken over our world and threatened to destroy it and all those who oppose his ways. The force has killed before, and I am certain that there are many more deaths along the way. No one knows any way to stop this force, nor do I think they would even try. Everyone is afraid to leave his or her homes. Everyone keeps locked doors and windows at all times, not that that has stopped him before. This force is so powerful, so frightening, that many people have died just from the thought of being invaded by him and his clan. People are so afraid of him that they fear to speak his name. It's not a word you will hear anyone around here say. Except for me. My parents think I am crazy for doing so, but saying the name Lord Voldemort does not bother me in the slightest. Of course, they don't know the secret I know. They never shared the bond that I did with Voldemort. After all, Voldemort, Tom Riddle, it's all the same in the end, right? 


End file.
